The impact on mankind

Our ability to eat, drink and breathe... Ecological and economic threats... Our previous way of life is leading to severe consequences on our future lifestyle.

Hunger: a distribution problem

More than 850 million people worldwide still suffer from hunger. The situation is slowly progressing, but in some areas malnutrition is rising (Africa, many Middle Eastern and former communist bloc countries) ⁽¹⁾. Nevertheless, world agriculture produces enough to feed the entire world: 2,700 kcal per person per day. However, while certain countries are trying to cope with obesity (between 3,000 and 4,000 kcal available in rich countries), elsewhere, people are dying of hunger (less than 1,600 kcal available in Somalia) ⁽²⁾. We have a genuine distribution problem.

Hunger has several origins, which are often linked to natural resources. Sometimes, the control over natural phenomena is at fault: El Niño's variations cause meagre fish harvests; insect invasions devastate entire crop harvests (locusts in Niger, 2004-2005)... In addition, environmental degradation often worsens natural disasters (droughts, floods...). Finally, hunger is often the consequence of political choices: vulnerable countries torn by conflict (Darfur...); poor countries overwhelmed by debt...

Water: access to the blue gold

For those of us who reside in the more affluent countries, access to drinking water seems like a natural thing. Accordingly, water consumption is steadily increasing: in France, it increased from 128 to 200 litres per day per person since 1975 ⁽³⁾. Nevertheless, the market for bottled water and for water filtering carafes is booming. The cause: pollution by pesticides and nitrates in agricultural areas, and pollution by lead, sulphur and mercury in urban areas. Do you trust the water that comes out of your faucet?

In underdeveloped countries, only 50% of the population has access to drinking water, while 1.5 billion people are deprived of it ^{(1 ; 3)}. Non-drinkable water remains the leading cause of human mortality worldwide.

Global warming threatens water supplies in many countries: the glaciers have melted halfway over the last century and a half ⁽¹⁾, and this could upset the water balance of entire countries. In Peru, for example, the very large Andes cordillera population could soon be deprived of water.

A decrease in the drinking water that's available while the population increases; poor management of resources; insufficient investments... The water problem has only just begun.

Air: international property

Breathing clean air is far from being a universal right. Poor air quality causes 2 million premature deaths per year, half of which are in developing countries, the other half in industrialised countries ⁽¹⁾. The higher the population density and temperature, the greater the number of cardiac and respiratory diseases.

We've all heard about the infamous "hole in the ozone layer", the depletion of the ozone in the upper atmosphere in polar regions due to CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). This thin layer protects us from ultraviolet radiation, which causes skin cancer and eye damage. It took nearly 10 years to reach an international agreement eliminating CFCs (1987), and it will take at least another 60 years for the ozone layer to recover its original condition ⁽¹⁾. Regarding asbestos, its carcinogenic nature was proven in 1956, yet it took 40 years for a permanent ban to be imposed in France, following a health report that put an end to manipulation by industrial lobbyists. Asbestos will still kill several thousands of people each year for several decades ⁽³⁾. As for problems which are partially resolved, acid rain loaded with pollutants has significantly decreased in Europe since the 1990s, thanks to industrial restructuring in Central Europe.

But this acid rain persists in many countries, especially because of coal combustion. This is particularly true in China, which is responsible for 30% of Japan's acid rain ⁽¹⁾. Exhaust fumes also asphyxiate most of the major cities. They diffuse many micro-particles, which interfere with respiratory systems and are responsible for ozone pollution, and are an irritating gas that appears during periods of strong sunshine. Other very common pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are particularly present in the inner atmospheres. They are emitted by building materials (foams, carpets...), aerosol sprays, cleaning products...

A symbol of the global nature of environmental problems, the air knows no boundaries. Maintaining a healthy atmosphere requires international cooperation.

Mankind is at the mercy of nature

Natural disasters have always existed, texts and old engravings attest to this fact. However, the frequency of climate-related disasters (storms, heat waves, floods...) seems to have increased in recent decades, unlike geologically-based disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions...) which have remained stable in number. In particular, the power of hurricanes has increased during the last 3 decades: category 4 and 5 hurricanes have increased by 54% (from 36 to 120% depending on the cyclonic basins) between the 1975-1989 period and the 1990-2004 period ⁽¹⁾. The link with global warming is very likely, as hurricanes draw their energy from the upper ocean layers, whose temperatures have been increasing. Developed countries are not spared by climatic disasters. Europe cannot forget the 1999 storm, the 2002 floods or the 2003 heat wave (70,000 dead). In France, 2010 began with a destructive storm (Xynthia) and deadly floods in France's Var department. Everywhere, the notion of "climatic" or "environmental refugees" is starting to emerge. In 2004, this concept was highlighted by the inhabitants of Tuvalu, a South Pacific archipelago, when its Prime Minister expressed his fear of rising waters before the UN assembly.

The environment also plays a key role in the spread of epidemics: torrential rains enhance the proliferation of insects; rising temperatures propel diseases to new latitudes; open dumps and water points that are victims of eutrophication harbour rats and insects... Moreover, viruses and germs become resistant to certain drugs. While some familiar diseases are once again on the rise (tuberculosis...), new epidemics are appearing (AIDS, spongiform encephalopathy, SARS...).

The global economy is threatened

Ironically, while decades of economic growth have harmed our environment, nature's reactions are now threatening the global economy. Agriculture suffers from the degradation of its soil, water restrictions, and it will soon be unable to use fertilisers made using phosphate (whose autonomy ranges between 50 and 100 years ⁽⁴⁾). Fishing is threatened by the depletion of fish stocks. Tourism is regularly disrupted by the consequences of human activities: green seaweed on the Brittany coast; ski resorts which must restructure their activities in the absence of snow; coasts deserted by tourists following oil spills... The health of the transport sector is entirely linked to oil prices and availability. More generally, all economic sectors are threatened by energy shortages and by the other consequences of our current lifestyles.

Today, it becomes clear that the only way that the global economy will survive is if it adapts quickly to the challenges of our time. This is what economist Nicholas Stern summarised in his report: "The benefits of strong, early action on climate change outweigh the costs."

Written by Florent Planas for "One year for the Planet" (translated by Anyword).

Find out more…

1. Michel Barnier, Atlas pour un monde durable (Acropole, 2007)
2. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)
3. Fondation Nicolas Hulot, Ecologuide de A à Z (Le Cherche Midi, 2004)
4. Yves Cochet, Antimanuel d’écologie (Bréal, 2009)
5. L. Rotstayn et U. Lohman, Tropical rainfall trends and the indirect aerosol effect, (Journal of Climate, 2002)